Daily horse racing blog

Talking Horses

They race at Carlisle on Wednesday where Desert Romance is flagged up as the best bet on the card. Photograph: Grossick Racing/racingfotos

Wednesday's best bets, by Will Hayler

So, job done then. How fortunate for Gordon Elliott that an able deputy was on standby when his fiancée Annie Bowles became unavailable to ride Raajih at Newton Abbot on Tuesday night and Katie Walsh steered the 4-7 favourite to an easy seven-length success.

An on-course bookie reported on Twitter that a "right job" had been done with at least 20k laid to connections of the winner in the betting ring. That ought to cover the costs of Elliott's travel to the track for, as Chris Cook reported last night, it was eyecatching to see the winning trainer leading the horse in himself.

No rules were broken, but the fact that Raajih is owned by a well-known punter only serves to make the whole episode a little more disappointing. Gambles such as this which are as subtle as a brick don't offer encouragement to the average punter.

Raajih (4.45) is set to be in action again at Worcester on Wednesday afternoon and will again go off at a short price if lining up for the second time in less than 24 hours.

Carlisle's high-class card, featuring the Cumberland Plate and Carlisle Bell, is one of my favourite of the year and often attracts a plot horse or two. I remember Mick Easterby landing an incredible gamble with Top Dirham in the Bell a few years ago where at one stage it seemed that punters would take almost any price they were offered.

David Bergin is an apprentice worth noting and he once again looked tidy in victory at Beverley on Tuesday. He arrived at David O'Meara's yard earlier this month having ridden just one winner in Ireland, but someone had clearly tipped the trainer off about Bergin's talents and he has now ridden two winners and two seconds from just four rides.

Despite his relative inexperience, O'Meara pitches the youngster in against some of the best riders on the northern circuit by putting him up on Desert Romance (3.30) in the Bell.

This horse went off too quickly when tried in a visor for the first time on his penultimate start but is well drawn here for a frontrunner and worth another chance with the headgear re-applied.

Donald McCain's record with jumpers brought back to the Flat is exceptional and Lexi's Boy (4.05) could well prove hard to beat in the Plate having shown considerable improvement for the stable over hurdles in recent weeks.

He showed a fair level of form on the Flat for Kevin Ryan last summer but remains open to further improvement, especially with his present wellbeing assured.

Salisbury's maidens are well worth watching with a number of well-related types set to line up, while Shavansky (4.25) gets the vote in a competitive event chosen for the tipping contest. He failed to land a blow in a strange contest where fron-trunner John Louis failed to come back to the field last time out but is better than that and fairly treated on his best form in bigger fields such as this.

Tipping competition, day three

VolleVLug sailed to the front, as one of only two of you to pick Paperetto (14-1), the other being orso (now fourth). Suckzinclee had the other two winners, Eeny Mac (11-4) and Wind Star (11-2).

This week's prize is a pair of Premier enclosure tickets to Sandown on Saturday 7 July, the day of the Eclipse Stakes, which is shaping up to be some race, with So You Think, Monterosso, Farhh, Carlton House and Nathaniel among the likely runners. If you don't win, you can buy tickets here.

As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be four each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on -6.

In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.